Hot and Spicy Schoolyard Shrimp

by Creative Culinary on March 25, 2013

My friend Ansh with the blog Spice Roots is guest posting for me today; I’m in the thick of packing and stressed to the max about getting everything done so having friends help with some posts has been a huge relief. I met Ansh when she joined a local food blogger group I had started in Denver; I love that her food experiences are so unique to mine and I also love how generous she has been to me. I agreed to be a part of an event last year called IndianFoodPalooza and one of my obligations was to make an Indian dish. I was a novice, totally a fish out of water so I asked Ansh for help. She not only offered a suggestion but came over to my house to help me prepare a Mumbai Sandwich. It was, to my mind, a strange combination of ingredients but I was excited to make it and even more excited to eat it! Ansh was so right on with that choice; it was fabulous and I admit opened my eyes to the fact that I actually have a great deal of the ingredients already on hand for Indian food; no more excuses!

I see she has decided to pull my leg a bit; how or why I thought Chicken 65 was a dish served at one of her schools in India and categorized by a number is beyond me…but let me tell you; if this shrimp is half as delicious as ‘Schoolyard Chicken’ we are all very lucky indeed!

“Food is humanitarian: sharing it bridges cultures, making friends of strangers pleasantly surprised
to learn how much common ground they ultimately share.” ―Anthony Beal

Food is how I met Barb. The Front Range Food Blogger group that Barb started made it possible for a lot of local bloggers to get together and meet and talk about food, eat food, shoot food and make everything about food the biggest deal. It is one thing to have wonderful friends who love to eat the food you cook and give you wonderful, heartfelt compliments but quite another thing to have friends who will not only appreciate the food you cook, but are ready to walk down the memory lane with you, travel for miles to find the perfect ingredient, understand why over mixing the batter is making your heart break into a million pieces and understand the squeals of joy when you poach the perfect egg. They will talk with you for hours about the origins of the dish, the stories behind it and absorb every word you are saying.

For one of our Front Range Food Blogger Meetings, I once made, what is originally called, a dish of Chicken 65. The group loved it instantly. Even though it was spicy and hot with all those chillies, they polished it off along with asking me why it was called the chicken 65. I did share the story and they listened to every word. Or so I thought.

When it was time for another of our monthly meeting, I offered to bring a cake, which Barb said would be delicious and added, ‘Would you not bring the school yard chicken, again’? Now I had never heard of ‘school yard chicken’ and here was Barb suggesting I should make it ‘Again’. After a little bit of talking we figured out what she was talking about and had a hearty laugh. I did make it again but insisted that she call it by its real name and she simply refused. She was always going to call it the Schoolyard Chicken, she said.

That chicken is one of Barb’s favorite dishes from my kitchen. She just tells me to stop thinking about what to bring and just bring her the chicken. And when she asked me to fill in for her today on her blog, guess what she asked me to come up with?

So for this post I thought it was only apt that I make something that I know she would love. And since she really likes the “schoolyard” part of the story, we are going to call this dish “The Schoolyard Shrimp 65”. Barb, I hope you enjoy this dish. Even though it was because of food that I got to know you, it is your courage and pragmatism that makes me love you as a dear friend.

Beautiful! Just beautiful. When I find my ambition again, I’d like to get more creative with chicken. Maybe I’ll try this! Nice to see you ladies working so well together, too :-) Miss ya’ll.Sara @ Saucy Dipper Most Recent Post: 10 Easy Football Party Dip Recipes

I love the School Yard Chicken 65 and can’t wait to try this hot and spicy school yard shrimp (although I can’t imagine a shrimp living in a school yard). Ansh’s blog has taught me many great recipes as has Creative Culinary. I’m so happy to have foodie friends with whom I can enjoy sharing food, recipes, and laughter.Jane Bauer Most Recent Post: Good Friday Dinner-Brooklyn Memories

I’m pretty sure I left a comment the other day — I think the ether ate it! Anyway, I’d eat this dish no matter what you call it! Really excellent. Although now I’m really interested in the recipe for Schoolyard Chicken 65. ;-)

Oooh wonderful! Don’t I love shrimp! And don’t I love Indian flavors. I wish someone would have brought me something this good when I was packing up an apartment for a move! Lucky Barb! And I wished I lived close to a group of food bloggers friends!

Ansh and Barb, this looks wonderful! I am going to be on the lookout for more Indian spices so that I am ready when a recipe like yours comes my way. At the moment I don’t have any of the pastes you mention or the curry leaves or chiles…they are now on my shopping list.

I don’t care what you call it – I’d call this dish terrific! It really looks excellent – super combo of flavors working in this. Good stuff. Although, of course, now I need the Schoolyard Chicken 65 recipe! Great guest post, and Barb, I hope packing etc is going well.

Well Ansh, how did I know that you’d be making “school yard something”? I absolutely adore the shrimp version of this dish. It just so happens I have a pound of shrimp in the freezer and some curry leaves in the fridge. Lucky me! This is a five star dish.Karen Harris Most Recent Post: Easter Egg Recycling: Chipotle Cilantro Deviled Eggs

I honestly thought it was a dish they got at school…where was my head? But once I started calling it schoolyard chicken for grins, that was the end of it; I knew I would never remember the real name. It is so good; I’ve found the link to it too and put it in the post. SO good.